I Put A Spell On You
by Johnny Devlyn
Summary: This is just a bit of vaguely supernatural fluff that I figured I'd post. There's a love spell involved. It was mostly just a contrived excuse to get Kate and Castle together, just for fun. Set mid-season three, I think... It was a while ago I started this... FINALLY FINISHED! (If you don't believe in even the possibility of magic, you'll never ever find it.) ;-)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this was inspired when I saw Casey singing this song on American Idol. I don't actually watch the show, I just happened to see him sing right before Bones came on. But it gave me this idea, so here goes. More (vaguely) supernatural fiction in the Castle-verse.**

**Oh, and in Southern California, well to me at least, 72 degrees Fahrenheit is kind of cold. I know, I'm a baby. But I wouldn't trade my palm trees and year-round-sun for anything!**

Something decidedly odd was going on with her tonight, Kate pondered as she sat at her desk one evening, pretending to do paperwork. What she was actually doing was puzzling over her own bizarre behavior.

Castle was in the break room, making coffee for her; paperwork was boring at the best of times, and tonight Rick had sensed that they may need the extra caffeine. And there it _was_ again, that odd behavior: just thinking about Castle- even performing such domestic tasks as making coffee for her- had her feeling... warm.

_Paperwork_, she chanted silently like a mantra, hoping to forestall any more... _warm_ feelings.

It was the oddest thing, but all day long Kate had had random images of Castle. She might have been okay with that if they were _just_ images, but Fantasy-Castle kept kissing her, kept pulling her into darkened rooms and... _doing things_ to her. And the fantasies came at the most random times too: while interrogating a suspect, consoling a victim's family member, and even once, while harassing Ryan and Esposito.

As Kate contemplated the memories, she realized what the trigger had been in each instance: the sound of Castle's voice. He had asked the suspect a question, offered condolences to a grieving sister, and teased the guys that he was a better detective than they were, combined. He wasn't even saying anything suggestive, he simply spoke and Kate was picturing him naked.

So she'd tried avoiding him. She was here pretending to do paperwork because that was when Castle usually left for the night. But Alexis was at a friend's house for the night and Rick had no hot date to leave for, so he'd offered to keep her company while she worked. It would have been rude of her to tell him to leave, so she held her tongue. And now she was actually stuck pretending to do paperwork because that's what she'd told Rick she was going to do and wouldn't she look the fool if she were to say, "Psyche! I was only kidding about the paperwork! I was just pretending in an attempt to get you to leave because I keep picturing you undressing me with your teeth and it's becoming very awkward for me to be around you right now"?

She smiled to herself when she imagined Rick's probably reaction to _that_ little confession.

"Wow, you must _really_ like your paperwork."

Rick's voice and sudden reappearance over her desk made Kate jump and her cheeks heat in a blush. She hurried to contain herself and looked at Castle as he set her mug beside her work space and took his chair beside her desk. Some random spirit possessed her and- more calmly than she'd thought herself capable of at the moment- she smiled and said, "No. I was actually looking forward to the coffee you were making for me." Kate took a small sip of the hot liquid and actually moaned in pleasure at the taste- her eyes closing and everything. What_ the hell is wrong with me?_ Kate wondered. But before she could really dwell on the possibilities, she was saying, "Yep, it's even better than I was expecting. And I was already expecting greatness." She looked up, into Rick's surprised eyes, and smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Castle."

Did he actually have to clear his throat before he could speak, or was Kate only imagining that? She couldn't tell the difference anymore between reality and fantasy.

"Always," He said quietly, smiling at her in reply. And Kate's heart melted in the warmth expanding through her chest.

It may have been cheesy, but it was _their_ thing now; to say "Always," when they couldn't bring themselves to say what they really meant: "I love you."

_Yes_, Kate finally admitted to herself. _I... have strong... _feelings_ for Castle... Maybe even..._

But she still couldn't think the word. She wasn't ready. And if she found he didn't... _have strong feelings_ for her too, she'd be devastated. By not admitting to the feeling, even to herself, she could pretend it didn't matter to her, one way or the other, what Castle felt for her.

The smiles had long since faded, when Kate realized she was still staring. But then, so was he. So her gaze snapped down to the table top and she began shuffling papers around.

Her face and neck were nearly burning with her blush and Kate finally noticed the room temperature.

"It's so warm in here," she complained.

When she glanced up at Castle, she found him smirking at her disbelievingly.

"What?" She snapped.

Smiling, he told her, "It's seventy two degrees in here. At least according to the thermostat. And it's colder outside."

"Well, maybe the air conditioning's not working right because it's definitely too warm where I'm sitting."

"Maybe it's just you," he teased her, then he frowned in thought. Castle's look turned to one of concern and the heat in her neck spread down to her chest in reaction. She knew he cared for her, but to see the worry on her behalf in his eyes- even over something as minor as a potential fever- made her feel good. He continued, "Maybe you have a fever." He reached out impulsively to touch his palm to her forehead, testing. "Do you feel well?" His hand moved to press the backs of his fingers to her neck, just below her ear. "Maybe you should head home."

Kate brushed his hand away- though it was almost painful to do it, and she immediately missed the touch of his hand on her skin- and reassured him, "I'm fine, Castle. It's just warm in here. If I take off my jacket, I'm sure I'll be fine."

Quickly, Kate began to remove her leather jacket and as her chest thrust forward, she became hyperaware of Rick's eyes on her; he was just sitting there, watching, as she removed the black leather. And the heat spread across her shoulders and down her arms to her fingertips.

_Did I just SHIVER!_ Kate wondered, shocked at herself that just the thought of his gaze on her body was... yep, there it was... It was turning her on.

The dark shirt she wore had long sleeves and was buttoned up higher than a nun's habit. But before she could even reach for a button, Rick was teasing her.

"You still hot? 'Cause that long sleeve shirt probably isn't helping any. Maybe you should remove it too."

It was something totally in character, something she might have even guessed he would say, but there was something off in his voice. It had a raw quality to it, as if he were feeling some of what Kate was feeling at the moment, the unbearable heat that was slowly consuming her body.

That uncharacteristic vulnerability she sensed in his tone was what prompted her- though heaven knew she knew better- to smirk at him in challenge and reach up to slowly start unbuttoning the top button.

His round, surprised, ice-blue eyes were enough to make her want to laugh out loud. But she couldn't. Her fingers- seemingly possessed by some naughty spirit- were working of their own accord to undo a couple more buttons. He could probably see the lacy neckline of her camisole now, Kate reckoned, so she adjusted the collar to hang more fully open. "You're right, Castle, that does feel better," Kate teased. "Thanks."

Rick grunted, tried to say something and choked on his words, then quieted again. The burning heat travelled down her sternum to settle low in her belly, and- heaven help her- her fingers didn't stop working. She liked seeing the way she was obviously affecting him, knowing what he was currently doing to her own peace of mind. It was with stunned surprise- for both of them- that Kate opened the rest of the buttons and threw back her shoulders to remove the blouse, draping it over the seat back. Kate was grateful she'd decided to wear a camisole today, because she had the feeling that even if she hadn't, tonight, that shirt would have come off either way.

Kate was actually really proud of Rick at the moment; here she was practically undressing in front of him and his gaze was locked on her face. The tip of her tongue darted out to moisten her suddenly dry lips and Rick's gaze snapped down to her mouth. The heat spread to her hips when Rick moistened his own lips as if in preparation to kiss her.

_What the hell is going on? What the hell is going on?_ Kate chanted, confused, surprised and scared by the things she was feeling. That one bit of rational thought gave her the strength to look away from Rick's too-blue eyes. She looked down and tried to focus on the papers there, but she didn't see them. She still saw Rick, the burning gaze, the way his tongue darted out as if desperate to taste. She tried to close her eyes and the images only got worse, not better. She imagined him leaning forward to kiss her, and even... more. Right here in the precinct.

Kate drew in a labored breath, but that didn't help either; the air was heavy with the scent of... _him_. Soap and cologne and _male_. Was it wrong that she wanted nothing more at that moment than to bury her face in the crook of his neck and just breath in his scent? _Yeah, that's just... weird_, Kate decided. _How would he smell right after a shower?_ Kate idly wondered, unable to forestall the errant thoughts. And then they continued, _Oh, or right after strenuous exercise. Ooo... I know the _perfect_ "exercise."_

Kate's eyes snapped open and she blinked several times in an attempt to banish the images _banging_ through her brain. So _wrong_, she told herself.

"Are you sure you're feeling well, Kate?" Rick asked then, his voice quiet with his concern. "Paperwork can wait until tomorrow."

Kate looked back at him and smiled. The rest of her body- her thighs, her calves, even her toes- warmed to the look of concern in his eyes. "Maybe you're right." Kate stood and smiled down at him, teasing. "Too bad I don't know a quiet place I could go. I could use a drink."

"You're in luck," Rick returned the teasing tone, standing as well. "I just happen to know of such a place. All _you_ have to do is ask the owner nicely. I hear he has a soft spot for beautiful women." Normally Rick wouldn't have complimented her so flagrantly, but there was something decidedly odd going on tonight and he felt for once, he could get away with it- and not risk losing a limb for his effort.

"Hopefully not _too_ soft," Kate retorted in a falsely worried tone and laughed when Rick began choking. _There was that odd behavior again,_ Rick noted and Kate was just as surprised as he was by her comment, but his reaction was _too_ funny.

Rick found it difficult to work up a proper glare when she laughed like that, her smile lighting up her being. So he rolled his eyes and groused, "Come on, let's go open my bar on the _one_ night it closes early."

"You would do that? Just for me?" Kate asked, looking at him though her lashes coquettishly.

"Anything," he blurted, totally sincere, before he could stop himself. "I mean," He cleared his throat and said, "I've been _waiting_ for the opportunity to get you drunk."

"That'll cost you, Ricky." Kate grabbed her things and led the way to the elevator, Castle following her like her faithful puppy. "I know how to handle my liquor and I _only_ drink the good stuff."

"I think my bank account will survive," He retorted dryly.

**A/N: The supernatural thing will come in much later, there's a love spell involved in all the weirdness, but the smut comes first. Sorry to disappoint :-D (that's my sarcastic grin :-D).**


	2. Chapter 2

They stepped into the elevator when it arrived and turned to face the closing doors. They each leaned back against the rear wall of the car as they watched the doors close. _Those have to be the_ slowest _doors ever!_ Kate reflected as she watched them, recalling the way they always seemed to wait for her conversations to end before they closed all the way.

Kate tried to think of more inane things to occupy her mind in an attempt to distract herself from the press of Rick's shoulder against her own. He was so close, his scent wrapped around her and bathed her in its warmth. And the silky quality of his suit was not lost on her fevered mind as it brushed her bare skin.

Kate mentally slapped herself and began to put her jacket on as a pretense for stepping away from him. _Now _fabric _is turning me on?_ She wondered at the state of her mental health, not willing to acknowledge that it _wasn't_ the fabric that was affecting her, but the large male wrapped in that silky, scented cloth.

Then she thought about where they were headed and wondered if it would be wise for her to go _drinking_ with the man she'd been fantasizing about all day. _What am I doing?_ She wondered.

As if reading her mind, Castle spoke up, asking, "Are you _sure_ you want to go to the bar?" When Kate looked at him in surprise- surprise because of the way his question mirrored her thoughts- Castle grinned cheekily and added, "I keep the _good_ stuff at my place."

Understanding lit her eyes and her mouth framed a silent 'Oh.' The way Castle teasingly asked the question, she knew he was already anticipating either a flat out 'no' or a joke along with the denial. So Kate said, "Sure. That sounds great, actually. I wouldn't want to hang out in public looking like this," She said, referring to the camisole.

_Like what? Sex on legs?_ He wanted to ask, but couldn't say it out loud, fear for the safety of his limbs keeping his mouth shut. But he couldn't just keep quiet. So he went with a slightly more socially acceptable compliment. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Kate. And I've seen a _lot_ of women. You could wear rags and make them look like haute couture."

She didn't reply to that- unsure _what_ to say- but Castle could still see the blush and smile she tried to hide just before the doors opened and she sauntered away from him.

In the underground garage, they headed toward their usual car, but Beckett didn't unlock the doors. Instead, she moved to the trunk and removed two helmets. She tried to pass one to Rick, but he didn't take it. "What's this?"

"It's a helmet, Ricky," she pointed out, talking to him as if he were a stupid child. Then she added in a slightly more serious tone, "And you have to wear it, it's the law now."

"Since when is it the law to wear helmets in a car?" He retorted.

"We're not taking the car," she explained, the sarcasm gone now.

"Why not?"

"It would be unethical to take the company car for personal use," she pointed out. Kate pushed the helmet into his abdomen and was briefly impressed by the way his solid body didn't give under the contact. "We're taking my bike."

"Bi-_cycle_?" he wondered. The red, scooter style helmet he finally took from her was decidedly dorky and he had to remind himself it would be childish to pout. Or ask to trade. The black helmet Kate kept for herself was one of the cool ones with a dark visor and everything.

"I _told_ you I had a motorcycle, Castle," She said, exasperated. And then she was privately grateful for his ability to annoy her to the point she forgot about how attractive she'd always found him. "Did you think I was lying?"

"Not _lying_," he defended himself. "_Joking_ maybe... Or trying to get a rise out of me."

Kate smirked at him- a very _sexy_ look, Castle decided- and she proclaimed, "If I were trying to get something to _rise_ Ricky, you'd know it."

Rick's open-mouthed shock made her laugh shortly, but then she realized what she'd just said and she quickly turned to hide her mortified expression. _Katherine Beckett, get a grip on yourself!_ She sternly reprimanded herself, and then she moved quickly toward the bike. Her mind went of its own volition to images of parts of Castle's she'd like to get a grip _on_.

He watched her hips sway for a long moment as she walked away and then finally looked around the garage. He spotted it then; there, beside the cop bikes, was a shiny black death-machine-on-wheels. And Kate wanted him to climb onto the back of it.

Kate must have noticed his look or sensed his trepidation, because she assured him, "I'm a really good driver, Castle. We'll be safe. I'll even drive slow if you'll be more comfortable."

"Not too slow I hope," He said, moving toward the bike. He hated the idea that Kate thought he was scared or nervous.

"Sure," she said, approaching the bike. She stowed her belongings in the small container strapped to the back of the bike. Then, turning to face him, she said, "When we go around turns, I need you to lean _with_ me. Don't try to lean back the other way, because that'll topple the bike. I know it's more natural to want to remain upright, but you have to lean when I lean, Okay?" Kate explained as she began strapping on her helmet then zipped up her leather jacket.

"I've been on a Bike before, Beckett," He said, just shy of sounding irritable.

"Oh, sorry, Dr. Seuss," she retorted, just short of sounding sarcastic.

She watched for a moment as Rick struggled to correctly strap himself into his helmet and finally had to laugh. She batted his hands away and had him straightened out in seconds. "Let's go," She said and threw a leg over the bike. Rick waited until the machine was roaring before he climbed on behind Kate. Mostly, he was admiring the vision she made; a modern day Amazon Princess, straddling her steel- loudly purring- mount. Rick settled and Kate showed him where he was to put his feet. She leaned forward to take hold of the handle bars and Castle glanced down to where her backside pointed at him, right between his thighs. Did she know how appealing that was? Rick wondered. The sight of her curvy little backside, right _there_, between his legs...

_Stop thinking about her ass, Ricky!_ He admonished himself silently.

Luckily, Kate chose then to speak and thus derail his naughty train of thought. "You're going to have to put your arms around me, Castle," She called to him over the roar of the engine.

_So much for that_, Rick's thoughts were droll as he realized Kate's words weren't going to distract him after all.

"You'll be able to lean with me better that way. Plus, I'm the only thing you'll have to hold on to and you'll probably want to hold onto _something_."

"Ugh," He groaned, complaining sarcastically. "Put my arms around you? If I _have_ to." And despite his words, Castle's arms moved eagerly to wrap around her ribs and he pressed his chest close to the back of her... But not _too_ close... _she_ didn't need to know the way the proximity of her body was affecting him.

Meanwhile, Kate's thoughts were closely mirroring Rick's. She wondered if he could feel the way her breathing sped up when his arms wrapped around her torso. He was so close, if she just shifted her posture, he'd be _touching_ her... Kate quickly inhaled a calming breath, but only felt the press of his arms tighten around her. That heat she'd been feeling intensified and Kate was tempted to take off her jacket, just to feel the cool air on her bare skin. But despite the heat, she knew she'd freeze without covering. It really didn't help that his arms were wrapped so close to her breasts, she could almost feel his hands on them already. She wanted it so bad, the craving almost felt like a physical touch, though not corporeal enough to afford _any_ satisfaction.

_Focus!_ She snapped at herself and she distracted her fevered mind by revving the engine and taking off, out of the garage and flying through the dark streets toward Rick's house.

At a stop light- and purely out of _curiosity_ and _no_ ulterior motive- Kate asked casually, "Is your family home tonight?" She already knew Alexis wasn't, but didn't want Rick to know she'd filed that particular information away for later reference.

"No. Mom's on tour and Alexis is at a friend's house for the night," Rick offered willingly, then became suspicious. "Why?"

"No reason," Kate quickly replied. And when she realized he might take that the wrong way- or exactly the right way, depending on which half of her brain was asked- she hastily added, "I wouldn't want to intrude in their home without prior notice."

"Oh," Rick seemingly accepted her reasoning, but a question was beginning to form in his head. _Does Kate... no, she couldn't possibly... Wait,_ does _she want to be alone with me?_ Rick wondered, and almost missed the fact that they were at his house now. He quickly hopped off after Kate killed the engine and now that her body was gone, Rick felt the lack of her warmth more acutely than he'd even noticed it in the first place.

_What is it about a confident woman on a motorcycle that's so damn _sexy? Rick wondered as he watched Kate dismount.

She took off her helmet and shook out her long, wavy brown hair and Rick's breath caught.

_Oh, right_. Rick concluded, in stunned awe as he watched her body arching while she continued to straighten out her hair and then unzip her jacket. _That's what it is._

Meanwhile, Kate messed with her hair a little more as a means of procrastinating. _What the hell am I doing here?_ She wondered frantically. She could actually _feel_ his eyes on her body in the way her skin tingled under his gaze. First as he took in her posture, her flat stomach, the way the tiny camisole hugged her breasts. She was immediately warm again, the refreshing chill from the windy bike ride completely erased from her skin. That heat was intoxicating...

Kate's head swam and she didn't think she should be making any serious decisions right now, her powers of judgment compromised as they were.

Turning slightly to face Rick fully- about to tell him she'd changed her mind, she was just going to head home now- Kate saw the look in his eyes and froze. It was like he was trying to drink in the sight of her with his eyes and the heat that burned there mirrored the burn she was feeling. But it was more than lust that burned there in his gaze, it was... _just more_, Kate concluded, terrified to put a name to the emotion he didn't make any attempt to hide, even as the recognition scorched her with a more intense heat low in her abdomen- if that were possible. She was surprised her skin wasn't blistering yet.

When he finally noticed her eyes on him, he smiled, unembarrassed about getting caught staring at her. "Ready?" He asked, holding out the helmet for her to take.

But she didn't take it. Instead she turned to the bag strapped to the bike, removed her things and stuffed them into her own helmet. Then she turned back to Castle and said, "We'll take them up with us."

Understanding had him nodding agreement and he turned to lead the way into the building.

_Wait_, Kate thought, frantic again. _I meant to tell him..._ She sighed over her own stupidity, her own muddled brain, her inability to resist him. _It didn't always used to be like this,_ She pondered and then searched her memory for the catalyst that had turned her from Sensible-Kate, who knew how to simply _avoid_ Castle when she was feeling particularly attracted to him, to Driven-Mad-With-Lust-Kate who was now panting after him in an effort to catch more of that intoxicating scent he emitted. She had always loved the smell of him, not that she'd ever admit it to anyone.


	3. Chapter 3

They entered the elevator and after Rick pushed the button, they again leaned against the back wall, silently, side-by-side. When their helmets- hanging at their sides- smacked together, Rick tucked his own under his opposite arm, then took Kate's from her and put it into his other hand, holding both helmets on one side of his body, away from her. So that he could surreptitiously move closer to her as he leaned back against the wall once more. He wished the elevator ride would take longer, just so he could take in more of her heavenly perfume. But his elevator was much quicker than the one at the precinct and all too soon the doors dinged open and they moved out, along the short hallway to Rick's door.

_Rick's apartment door,_ Kate qualified, the panic competing with the heat to become the dominant thing she was feeling. But both emotions were tying and overall, Kate was left just feeling muddled.

_Rick's apartment door behind which_ no _one is currently waiting to save me from myself,_ Kate added silently. And through which Rick was already heading, leaving Kate standing like an idiot in the hall. She hurried through and closed and locked the door behind her as Castle set the helmets down just inside.

She then followed when he turned and headed toward the kitchen and Kate idly wondered which one of them was the faithful puppy _now_?

"What would you like to drink?" Rick asked her, going straight to the cabinet where he stored the good booze. The _locked_ cabinet his mother _didn't_ have the key for... (he hoped).

"I don't know, what do you have?" Kate said dismissively as she sat at one of the stools facing the kitchen and watched Rick as he moved around.

Rick turned to give her a droll look. "You name it, I probably have it. And trust me, Detective, it'll be the good stuff."

"I'm partial to vodka," she said and then smiled wickedly. "Although, this momentous occasion may warrant tequila. And lime."

Rick froze, and then slowly turned to stare at her. His thoughts immediately went to the sex scenes- the fantasies- he'd written about her... involving tequila. And then, Rick had to wonder if she'd done that on purpose... referenced a fantasy _about her_ while they were alone. In his home. Together. With immediate plans to consume alcohol, just like in said fantasy. _No, she couldn't know... Right?_ Rick pondered.

Three years. Three _whole_ years, Castle reflected. They had been working together for three years now, and she keeps her distance until now. What made tonight so special? Why was Kate suddenly so... _friendly_- for lack of a better, yet still socially acceptable word.

Realizing he was still staring- though Kate was just smiling back- Rick quickly cleared his throat and turned to get the tequila down from the shelf, asking her, "What makes this a momentous occasion?"

"Oh, come on!" Kate replied laughingly. "You've been trying to get me drunk for years! Tonight is a big deal," she concluded.

Rick set the bottle plus two shot glasses down in front of her on the counter and then headed to the fridge to get some limes. "I have _not_ been 'trying to get you drunk for years'," he retorted in a childish voice as he mockingly quoted her.

"Fine," Kate allowed, but wasn't quite ready to cede the war. "But you can't tell me you haven't at least _thought_ about what would happen if you were to get me drunk."

"You? Drunk? With no inhibitions and all your walls down?" He asked, his voice incredulous. Then he turned serious as he concluded, "Nope. The thought never even crossed my mind."

Rick smiled when Kate's laughter rang out. They both knew he was lying; they had the book as evidence to the lie, as if they really even needed any proof.

"Ow!" Rick suddenly ejaculated and commenced to shaking his hand frantically. "I nicked myself," he complained as the shaking continued.

Kate leaned across the countertop quickly and held out her hand for his. Rick was surprised enough that when she commanded, "Let me see," he did as she asked and put his hand, palm up, in hers. She turned it over and held it up in front of her face to examine the injured digit he pointed at her.

"I don't see anything," Kate concluded, relieved.

"I think I was more surprised than hurt, actually. I've cut myself so many times, that was just a gut reaction."

Kate's focus shifted from his finger to his face and she smiled for him. _He is so_ cute! She mused, as he stood there looking sheepish. He was obviously embarrassed that his attempts to be a good host were being thwarted by his own clumsiness with cutlery.

And that look was adorable- so endearing- that before she consciously decided what to do next- and could therefore stop herself- she was leaning closer to him and pressing her lips gently to the tip of his finger. "All better now," she murmured, her lips moving against his fingertip as she spoke.

"Much," Rick agreed, though he was surprised he could manage to speak at all. She was so beautiful. Rick stood watching her eyes, her mouth, entranced, as she gently closed her lips to kiss his fingertip again. He couldn't help himself now; his finger flexed a little and he studied the soft, silky feeling of her lower lip.

Rick was sure he was dreaming now. Or hallucinating, either one would explain why Kate Beckett was now lowering her head, parting her lips and taking his pointer finger into her mouth. The sensations sure felt real- especially the way the wrap of her tongue around his finger sent lightning bolts of sensation coursing through him, straight to his groin. And then, when she began to pull his finger back out of her mouth- her eyes closing as she moaned softly- Rick felt the sensations father south, as strongly as if she had both body parts in that searing hot mouth of hers.

Then her mouth was gone and she softly told him, "You taste like limes."

"Sorry," he croaked, then had to clear his throat, even though he said no more.

"I like lime," Kate said, smiling at him, instead of telling him, 'it's okay.' She knew it was wrong for her to tease him like that, but his fingertip on her mouth was just begging to be tasted. And it had been sweet and salty and warm. And big- which prompted Kate to wonder if it was true, that the size of a man's hands indicated the size of... other parts...

She released his hand completely then, and Rick held it up between them, staring in shock from her face to the finger she'd just held in her hot, wet mouth. He could still feel it, her tongue wrapped around him... Another part of him stood at attention, begging for the same treatment that his undeserving finger had received. But he said nothing as his gaze shifted back and forth between his hand and her face. Kate's eyes looked just as confused as he felt, but she was still smiling softly.

_This has to be a dream,_ Rick concluded. So he did the only thing he felt he _could_ do in that situation: His hand shot out quickly and he slapped himself across the face.

"Ow!" He cried out, as if in surprise, at the same time Kate cried, "What the hell!"

"Damn," Castle concluded softly, rubbing at his face as his surprised gaze turned back to Kate.

"Why did you do that?" Kate asked, confused and incredulous and maybe even a little worried about his mental health.

"I thought I was dreaming," he admitted sheepishly.

Understanding lightened her expression and she raised one eyebrow at him in challenge. "How often _do_ you dream about me, Castle?"

"Often enough," he replied evasively.

"_What_ do you dream about me?" She challenged him.

His eyes widened in shock before he blurted, "I'm not telling you _that_!"

"Why not?"

"Because my limbs _like_ being attached to my body, thank you very much."

"I'll bet," she replied quietly as she studied some of the strong limbs in question. When they both lapsed into silence then- Rick too surprised to say anything, Kate trying to figure out what the hell she was playing at- Kate noticed again the unwelcome (delicious) heat still playing havoc on her body. This time, when she removed her jacket, and her chest thrust forward, Castle's eyes snapped down to study her barely covered breasts. Her skin burned where his gaze touched her and the blood rushed from her head, leaving her feeling as lightheaded as if she were already tipsy, though she hadn't even touched alcohol yet tonight.

The heat and the years she'd spent solving crimes side-by-side with him were working together to fog her mind and lead her to wonder why she had always been so adamant about not sleeping with him? She had always suspected it would be good- maybe even great- between them, so why had she promised herself she'd never go there with him? It was just sex, right? And she knew Castle would be more than willing, so she idly wondered... _Why not?_ All her reasons and rationalizations why not- carefully constructed while she lay in bed most nights trying unsuccessfully not to think about the mystery writer- were forgotten as the feverish heat finally stole the last of her resistance.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was sliding down from her perch, and moving around the kitchen island. She sidled close to Castle's side and he turned to face her, only inches of space left separating their bodies.

"You didn't need to slap yourself," she informed him, reaching up to lightly touch his cheek where a faint pink welt was forming.

"I didn't?" He asked, his voice low.

"No," she said, smiling. Her hand moved down to lightly rest on his side over his ribs. "If you ever doubt your lucidity, I'd be happy to pinch you." As a demonstration, she pinched his side.

"Ow," He protested softly, not actually hurt, just complaining because he was supposed to. "And here I was about to offer you a drink." He turned his head to the counter, stuck a slice of lime on a full shot glass and offered the drink to Kate.

Smiling, Kate took the glass and shot it back, shivering violently when the alcohol burned its way through her torso. She then set the glass down noisily, and picked up the lime, taking a bite.

Though her eyes scrunched up in reaction to the citrus, Rick's eyes locked on her mouth. _How do women do that?_ He wondered, studying the way her full lips wrapped appealingly around the fruit. And then she was pulling the peel away from her mouth and Rick watched, entranced, as she licked the remaining juice away from her lips slowly. When she looked back up at him, Castle raised his hand to his own face, surreptitiously rubbing at the corner of his mouth with his thumb just to ensure he wasn't drooling.

"I may need you to pinch me again," he finally murmured vaguely, focused on her dark green eyes.

That little admission made her smile and though she knew better, she asked, "Where?"

"Huh?" He grunted in surprise.

The smile only grew. "Where would you like me to pinch you?"

He just stared at her in shock until she finally laughed. She reached up to pinch his ribs again, and this time, Rick clapped her hand against him, preventing her from moving away or pinching him some more. "Yep, I'm still awake," he concluded.

"Do you often fall asleep standing up?" She teased. His body under her palm felt solid and strong, and the hand covering hers was burning hot.

"Hasn't happened yet. But then again, I was beginning to suspect I'd never convince you to drink with me, so I guess there is a first time for everything."


	4. Chapter 4

Kate smiled at his joke and finally slipped her hand out of his grasp. She had to get some distance; the smell of him, the nearness of him- though their current proximity was her own doing- was messing further with her head. The evidence was in the way she wanted nothing more in that moment than to feel Rick's mouth possessing her own. So she brushed past him, squeezing her body between the minimal space separating Rick's body from the counter top, and when she reached a relatively open space, she hopped up on the counter and looked back at Rick.

"By the way," She informed him. "You didn't _convince_ me to do anything."

"What?" He protested, turning back to the counter. "You wanted to go to the bar! _I_ was the one who suggested we come here." Rick was immensely grateful for the playful conversation at that moment. It was more like what he was used to between them and it was distracting him from the fact that Kate's knee kept brushing his hip as he reached to fill the shot glass again. From the day he met her, Rick had felt that subtle burn of desire, but she hadn't seemed interested, so he'd become adept at ignoring the feeling. But right now, tonight, Kate's words and actions were igniting that smoldering ember to a blaze and if he didn't get some normalcy back between them, he was going to spontaneously combust.

"Who was the one that suggested drinks in the first place?" She asked him pointedly, continuing the conversation as a means to distract herself from the fantasies invading her mind just then. Castle's hip kept brushing the outside of her knee and her mind took her to places where those hips were on the other side, clasped tightly between her knees, in fact... Totally naked...

"Yeah, but the bar doesn't have the good tequila, I do. So it was _my_ idea," He argued, handing her the next shot. He was vaguely aware that his argument made no sense, but he was too distracted by her.

Kate took her drink and quickly downed it, then watched as Castle did the same with his own. She took the lime off her cup and looked at it for a moment. She could picture several scenarios at once, at least half of which involved offering Castle the lime wedge by holding it out to him... in her mouth. The other half involved setting it in _Castle's_ mouth so that she could bite at the fruit. But no, that would be a bad idea. So instead, she held up the lime in her hand and offered it to Rick.

Rick looked up to meet her gaze and Kate noticed the dilated pupils, the burning desire raging in his eyes. Something he saw in Kate's gaze must have encouraged him, because he moved around her knee and stood vaguely between her legs- not wanting to invade her personal space too much yet- and put his hands on the countertop on either side of her, leaning forward to take a bite of the fruit she offered him. Even as he enjoyed the tangy taste of the lime, Rick picked up a second piece and offered it to Kate, who leaned closer to him to take her own bite. Her free hand moved up to hold his wrist in place so that when she finished tasting, he wouldn't pull his hand away. When they each finished, still watching each other's eyes, Kate took both lime peels and dropped them on the counter beside her. Then she brought his now empty hand to her face and slowly took his thumb into her mouth, savoring the combined tastes of salt and citrus on his skin.

Rick swallowed hard as he watched her mouth work on his thumb and felt the way her tongue caressed his skin. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, trying to get some semblance of balance back. Luckily Kate pulled his hand away from her mouth then, and Castle was able to think again. But maybe that wasn't lucky, because it just gave him the opportunity to notice again the burning desire he had, over his entire body, to feel her touch. So he picked up her free hand, wrapping his fingers around her wrist, and placed it on his chest, just over his rapidly beating heart. Her fingertips flexed excitedly, pressing into the hard muscle of his chest and his heat almost scorched her palm. Her own pulse quickened, racing to match his and even as her breathing sped up, she took the hand she still held and pressed it to her own chest, right over her heart.

Maybe it was the alcohol invading her system, or the increase of oxygen, but Kate's head swam in a haze of desire, leaving her with that almost lightheaded feeling again. Her skin under his touch burned and she found her chest heaving, hoping his grasp would slip a little farther down and a little farther over. But his hand didn't move; in fact, he seemed frozen in place, watching her closely as if waiting for her to move away.

Kate's gaze moved down then to lock on his mouth and she finally pointed out, "Your lips taste like lime." The gravity between them slowly began pulling her inexorably closer, increasing the heat burning inside her and almost drowning out the still rational part of her mind yelling at her to turn tail and run.

"How do you know?" He returned, raising an eyebrow in challenge as he pressed a little bit closer between her legs.

"Educated guess?" She retorted, her mouth inches from his face now.

"Going to test your hypothesis?"

Kate smiled in a sexy way and let go of his wrist. She put her hand on the side of his jaw, her thumb gripping under his chin, and tipped his head back a little. Then she held his head in place as she finally leaned in and sucked his lower lip into her mouth. Rick felt the sweep of her tongue seconds before she moaned against his mouth and then pulled away.

"My conclusion: Your lips taste like lime." She sucked her own lower lip into her mouth, tasting what was left of him there, and then added, "And hungry male."

"We just had dinner a little while ago," He argued, though why he argued, he wasn't quite sure.

Kate smirked and said, "I wasn't talking about that kind of hunger."

"Oh. Well, in that case," He finally released her wrist, and put his arm around her lower back. He stepped toward the counter at the same time he pulled her body to the edge, forcing her legs farther apart and pressing closer between them. Kate gasped in excitement as Rick informed her, "I've been hungry since the day I met you."

**A/N: Mwah-ha-ha, evil author leaves major cliff hanger. *winces in fear* Okay, Okay, I'll post the next bit! But it might just be more of the same… you'll have to read and find out. Oh, and reviews will make the next chapter come faster… (That's what she said ;-D)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's the next chapter, please don't hurt me! *places chapter on the floor and backs away slowly* :-D**

"I've been hungry since the day I met you."

Kate adjusted her posture, sitting up straight and pressing closer to him. The hand on his chest began stroking him and the other moved to do so as well. "Oh," she cooed, as if trying to soothe him. "Mi pobrecito." She was currently enjoying the feel of his solid body under her hands and not paying much attention to what she was saying.

Rick smiled, enjoying the touch that left a burning trail of sensation across his skin, but he had to know, "What does that mean?"

"Hmm?" She murmured, distracted. Her hands were just pushing into his hair, and she was reveling in mussing the style he usually kept perfectly neat. His hair was so soft, and she found it was kind of fun messing it up.

"I didn't know you spoke Spanish," He added, as a means of distracting himself. He could feel the curve of her breast just below his hand and her skin was burning his palm. He was trying not to dwell on that soft skin, or the soft swell, but it was getting harder and harder the longer he touched her.

And Kate wasn't helping to distract him at all; she smiled wickedly as she touched him and informed him, "There's a lot you don't know about me, Castle."

"Like what?"

"Like how much I want you to kiss me right now," She admitted in a whispered voice. "Or how much I'm hoping that hand will slip just a little bit lower."

Rick's gaze traveled from her mouth down to her chest as she spoke and he definitely noticed the way her chest heaved with every labored breath she took, and the way his palm was resting just over the top of her breast. He began stroking her chest, much like she was currently doing to him again, but staying more centrally located down the center of her torso, avoiding touching her too intimately.

Kate pulled one of her hands away from his chest then, and Rick wanted to complain. But then she was wrapping her fingers around his wrist and he was afraid he knew what she was going to do next; he was afraid because he knew that if she did what he suspected she was going to do, he'd take advantage of her obviously intoxicated self tonight and there'd be no will power left in him to stop it. The last thing he'd ever want was to take advantage of her if she was drunk; he loved her too much to do something so low.

The last of her sanity was screaming at Kate to stop this, to move Rick's hand away from her heaving chest and then push him away and then run from his home all the way to her own where there was no hot male looking at her as if she were the most beautiful thing- the sexiest thing- he'd ever seen. Her rational mind told her that letting him in like this was going to change her forever, and was she really ready for that? _Tonight?_ But that burning touch on her chest was too good and Kate found her fevered mind telling her sanity to go to hell.

Rick's face was inches away from her own and she could feel his warm breath every time he exhaled. Her breathing eventually came to match his, quick and excited, and the heat of his hand was surpassed only by the burn of desire possessing her to feel his touch elsewhere. She could almost feel it now, that burning desire like a corporeal touch, and before she could talk herself out of it, Kate pulled his hand to the side, where he was finally covering her breast, making her gasp. Somehow, his touch only burned hotter and she could feel that heat through the fabric of her camisole and the lacy covering of her bra. Her breath sped up faster, her breast pressing into his palm with every inhalation and his touch felt so good, her mind swam in a cloud of sensation.

"When are you going to kiss me?" Kate asked him, barely refraining from whimpering in need.

Rick groaned softly, tilting his head slightly as if preparing to lean in and finally kiss her. But instead, he told her, "I've been waiting for you to kiss me."

"Are you a man or not?" Kate asked him impatiently, hoping to provoke him into kissing her, drifting closer to his mouth. "Grow a pair and kiss me."

He had no idea why he was arguing this; he wanted to kiss her more than he wanted to continue breathing. But teasing her, actually hearing the desire and the need in her voice, was turning him on like nothing before. And he found that it was kind of fun teasing a tease. "Are you a strong, confident woman or not?" He retorted and then he smiled. His mouth was a hair's distance away from her lips and Kate could feel the light whisper of air each time he spoke. "Take what you want and kiss me."

Kate finally released his wrist, sliding her grip up to the back of his hand and pressing his palm harder to her breast. They gasped at the same time, their open mouths close enough that they each felt the other's intake of air. When she spoke, Kate's lips actually brushed his though they still didn't kiss. "I want you..." She _finally_ admitted- after how many years?

Rick closed his eyes and brushed his lips against hers again. "Oh, Katie, I want you too."

"I want you to kiss me," She said, and after she spoke, she pressed the barest of kisses to his bottom lip.

"_Please_ tell me you're not drunk," he insisted, totally out of the blue.

Kate looked confused, but assured, "I'm not."

And it was enough that Rick saw the clarity in her eyes, the fact that she wasn't drunk, she _actually_ wanted him to kiss her. "Oh _good,_" Rick gasped, took a deep breath and crushed his mouth to hers.

**A/N: Hahahahahaha… I'm sorry! I wrote the first five chapters like, a month and a half ago and I've only just had the time to type them up and post them this week. As you can see, I've been doing nothing but posting for like, the last four days. I have several stories that I've been holding on to because I just didn't have the time to post during the semester. Darn school for getting in the way of my pervy day-dreaming! :-D … oh, right, my point: everything up to now for this story was already written, but the next scene has yet to be. So it may take… oh, I don't know… a DAY for me to post the next chapter. Sorry to leave you hangin'!**

**Oh, and I'm not sure if Kate knows Spanish or not (Stana knows like, five or six languages right? SHE might now Spanish!) it didn't seem like she did in the Suicide Squeeze, but I barely know Spanish and even I know "pobrecito." It means "poor thing" right? At least, that's what ask dot com said :-D**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So I know I have not been around much lately and I apologize to those who are following my stories. I have been avoiding FanFiction because I was honestly kind of scared. I have never let anyone read my stories before I started posting here and at first everyone was giving me such great comments that I thought this was the greatest site ever. Then… I got a couple comments that totally shattered what little confidence I had found and I was too scared to write or post for a while. I wrote this next chapter a while ago but held onto it because I did not really want to explain why I had disappeared, but there it is. Thank you to everyone who did help me grow my confidence with your amazing reviews! You're the only reason I'm back now. **

**That's all I have to say about that. **

**Now, for some real smut in a story I promised was supposed to be nothing but smuttiness but has been woefully rated T so far… **

The tiny part of Kate that was still hesitant about starting something with Rick had prevented her from initiating the kiss, but once Rick made contact and closed his mouth on hers- _finally-_ Kate took over. Her arms slid around his shoulders, clutching him close though his hand remained between them, caressing her breast. She began peppering little kisses over his face: his square jaw, straight nose, and expressive brow. When she made her way back to his mouth, her kisses slowed, and she studied the softness of his lips.

Rick had dreamed about this moment every day of the almost three years that he'd known Kate. Awake or asleep, he had visions of kissing Kate- and more- and each scenario he pictured was unique in its own way. So yes, he had fantasies, many of them actually, wherein he made love with Kate in his kitchen, usually on one of the countertops, although most of the time, food was involved, sometimes even alcohol.

But this moment, with the real, _physical_ Kate Beckett was better than he had ever imagined. Because in most of his fantasies it was Rick himself who was coaxing, Rick who was trying to convince Kate that a physical relationship between them would _not_ be such a bad thing... in fact, it could be positively blissful.

Here in real life though, it was _Kate_ who was prompting a deeper kiss out of him because until only moments ago he had thought she was drunk. Even though, yes, he knew she had not had anything to drink all day save the two shots of tequila she had downed only ten minutes ago. But she _had_ to be drunk, because why else would _she_ be inveigling a kiss out of _him_... Well, now that he thought of it, maybe _he_ was drunk too, or maybe it was opposite day in Bizarro World, because in what strange universe would Kate ever _need_ to persuade him to deepen a kiss?

Rick was now learning how persuasive Kate could be and how exciting it was allowing _her_ to seduce _him_. So, even though he slowly increased the pressure of his mouth on hers, Rick made no move to deepen their kiss; he wanted Kate to entice him into doing it. But that did not mean he wasn't going to drive her crazy in the meantime; his hand on her breast squeezed gently, eliciting a moan from deep in Kate's throat. He tilted his head to give Kate better access, but kept his lips carefully together. The only problem was Kate was not in a very persuasive mood.

Having decided to go through with this- to finally give in to her growing desire for Rick- Kate was going to take what she wanted from him and enjoy every minute of it. They had been playing these games for years and the heat of her denied attraction had finally grown to the point that she feared she would burst into flame simply looking at him these days. But now that she had given in, she had no need or use for games.

Kate broke away, panting as she pulled back to look at Rick.

"Were you _going_ to kiss me, Castle?" she asked, her voice verging on annoyed. "Or do you not want this?"

His sarcastic but flirty smile was not the vehement denial she had been expecting, but it did tell her what he was doing: he was playing a game, trying to manipulate her. "I want this," he assured simply, his voice low and husky.

Kate sighed. "Then no more games, Rick."

"No more games," he promised with another sexy smile. "Just you and me, and no more games." Rick cocked an eyebrow in question when he added, "And no more clothes?"

Kate's eyes widened in surprise- both because he was _asking_ and _what_ he was asking- and she briefly considered saying something teasing and/or sarcastic, but they had literally _just_ agreed not to do that anymore (for tonight anyway). When she bit at her lower lip, giving herself the space of a moment to think of a reply, Castle's gaze snapped down to her mouth and she smiled when she saw him swallow. Hard.

"I can get down with that," she finally agreed. Her hands slid to the collar of his shirt and in the work of only seconds, the buttons were undone.

An internal debate raged behind Rick's eyes as he considered whether or not removing his own shirt was worth releasing the soft mound of Kate's breast. But... She _had_ just agreed to get naked, so if that hinged upon his own nudity as well, then for the moment, he would let go of her perfect body parts. But not before he made a silent promise to her chest that he would return soon and again many times tonight. So Rick finally released her, watching her face as she watched him disrobe, apparently pleased by what she saw. When his shirt hit the floor, she slowly raised her arms, providing him the opportunity to pull her camisole over her head. Before that scrap of lace and spandex could land on top of Rick's shirt, her mouth was on his, eagerly invading with her tongue when he finally opened for her.

Kate's hands explored his warm skin as Rick's tongue explored her hot mouth. When Kate moaned into his kiss, Rick swallowed her sounds of pleasure, letting them burn though his chest and ignite a fire that quickly spread to all of his limbs. His entire body shuddered in pleasure when Kate wrapped her hands behind his neck, drawing her nails over the skin at his nape and clutching him close to plunder his mouth more effectively.

Rick tried to restrain himself, tried to keep his hands on her hips- simply to draw out the experience of touching her for the first time for as long as he could survive the wait- but the exposed skin at her waist taunted his fingertips and drew his grasp higher. He found her body to be a lot like her personality: soft yet strong, hard but flexible. He wanted to touch her breasts again, to study them with fewer clothes covering them, but he knew if he did that now, he would never stop and there was just too much of her tempting body apart from her beautiful chest that he wanted to explore first. Unfortunately, there were still too many damn clothes in the way...

Rick wrapped his arms around her waist and when he held her closer, she pulled him in tighter with her arms and legs. Kate gasped when he suddenly pulled her off of the counter and Rick groaned when her body fell against his, pressing heavily on his arousal.

"Stand up," he told her, his low voice too strained to be polite.

Though normally she might have taken umbrage with his commanding tone, Kate did as told and when she stood before him, Rick kissed her again, dominating her mouth in an unforgiving way as his hands slowly drifted up from her rear end, over her back. He released the fastening of her bra and smoothed his hands all over her bare skin until finally he ran them up to push the straps down her shoulders. They each moaned into their unbroken kiss when she held him close again and her bare chest flattened against his.

Though it may have been a cool night outside, the fire burning between them had created a light sheen of perspiration that made their sticky skin adhere on contact. It was a delicious sensation, that unique friction created between one person's skin and another's, a feeling found nowhere else in the world.

Rick growled low in his throat and took a step forward, pushing Kate back and trapping her hips between him and the counter. His hands then trailed up her sides, his thumbs sweeping the outer curve of her breasts, the only bit of them he could reach, flattened as they were against his body.

Kate finally let go of Rick's shoulders so she could push her hands between them, the backs of her palms brushing against his groin as she unfastened her own pants and pushed the last of her clothing to the floor.

Rick had to break their kiss now, pulling away and gasping for air and though he took the opportunity to gulp down copious amounts of much needed oxygen, the real motive behind breaking the kiss was the desperate need to look at her beautiful body in all its naked glory. He pushed himself away from her, the only remaining contact his hands on her hips, holding her still so he could ogle without the distraction of... movements. The sight of her naked form took away all the air he had just worked so hard for and while a small part of his mind worked on getting it back, the rest simply stood in awe of her.

Richard Castle was no stranger to sex. He had been with many women (though not as many as he liked to claim) and he had delighted in exploring their beautiful bodies simply for the joy he found in the female form. So he was no stranger to the curves and swells, the silky skin and lean muscles of a well-built woman. But this time, with Kate... He could not remember any of the others. He may as well have been looking at a woman for the first time. As often as his eyes took in a curve or feminine line, his gaze flashed up to her face so he could watch the emotions burning in the eyes of the beautiful woman waiting on his verdict. Rick had always been sensitive to the physical needs and wants of his previous partners, but with Kate, the night was as much about the emotions as it was about the pleasure. Yes, he wanted to touch her, but he wanted to please her more, to _show_ her how he felt, because those three words had not been spoken between them yet.

Eventually he gasped in a deep breath he had forgotten to take and asked, a bit of awe in his voice, "Do I really get to touch you? Maybe you should pinch me again."

Kate sighed in annoyance even though she was secretly pleased. It made her feel good to know that Richard Castle liked the look of her body but she wanted him to touch her already! "Only if you do it within the next five seconds," she snapped. "Five-"

Before her lip could even draw back to her teeth to form the next sound in her countdown, Rick shot his hands out and placed them flat on her breasts. It was not a very elegant move- in fact, it was a decidedly teenager-fumbling-a-girl-in-the-back-seat-at-a-drive-in move- but it _did_ get Kate to stop counting, gasping instead when his hands went soft and began gently manipulating her with his fingers.

Rick stepped close again, crowding her into the counter, pressing his lower body into her hips as his lips came down to plunder her mouth.

Kate simply stood there and let Rick dominate her. She would not have been able to respond then had she tried and for once it was kind of nice giving up some of the rigid control she usually exerted over her interactions with Castle. His hands on her breasts stole her breath, his tongue in her mouth stole her moans and gasps of pleasure, and his cloth covered erection pressing into her bare skin stole her ability to move autonomously.

When one of his hands left her chest Kate wanted to protest, but Rick's grasp slid down around her thigh and she figured she would wait and see where Castle was going with this. He had to bend his knees a little in order to wrap his hand behind her thigh and when he abruptly stood straight again, he pulled her leg up with him. Draping the long limb around his waist and settling between her thighs, Rick pressed her harder into the granite counter. Kate even helped a little, wrapping her lower leg behind him and tugging him impossibly closer. His hand slid up her thigh, curving around and grasping her backside convulsively.

Kate whimpered in need, flexing her hips into his in a desperate move to find some friction where she needed it most. One of his hands was still pinching and then soothing her sensitized breast and the other was so close to her center, the burning need to be touched had become as solid as a physical caress, but without any of the relieved satisfaction.

The needy whimpers that would have normally embarrassed her were the only tool she had to let Rick know that she was _already_ crazy- he did not need to continue driving her there. But he did not get the hint or else he was delighting in teasing her- as per usual- to the brink of madness. Rick just broke away from her mouth to trail kisses across her face, her neck, her shoulder, wherever he could reach. And when he could not reach low enough, he bent down, grasped her other leg and lifted her against him, holding her up high enough to trail kisses across her breasts. Setting her naked rear end on the edge of the counter, Rick moved low enough to take the hard tip of one breast into his mouth and tease it with his tongue.

Kate finally moved to touch him, sliding her hands from his broad shoulders, up his neck and into his hair, where she fisted her hands and pulled his mouth more firmly to her chest. Rick appeased her unspoken demands by sucking harder, biting down gently and then soothing more firmly with his tongue. Her loud vocalizations of pleasure told him he had done something right. So he continued on until the whimpers returned, more frantic and needy than ever.

_Is it possible to come just from sound?_ Rick wondered. The moans, gasps, groans, and whimpers she made were sexy as hell and Rick feared he would spill just from listening to her unrestrained sounds of passion. Well, he would just have to see, wouldn't he? Though preferably not before he made Kate lose control first, of course.

Kissing his way across her chest to lavish attention on her other, sadly neglected breast, Rick's hand slowly left her rear end and began creeping around her hip then over her thigh. His fingertips brushed against her center in a teasing caress.

Kate's head fell forward so she could press kisses to all of Rick that she could reach: the top of his head, his temple and as he straightened again, his ear, his cheekbone, his jaw. She took his earlobe into her mouth, biting gently at the same time he began pressing his fingers into her heat.

Fisting her hands in his hair, Kate forced his head up and kissed him, invading his mouth in a way not dissimilar to the way his fingers invaded her core. She was moaning into his kiss, rocking her hips in time as he touched her, stroking her closer and closer to the blistering flames of release.

But Rick was in the middle of performing an experiment here and he would not know the outcome if he continued to drink in her happy sounds.

"Sing for me, Katie," Rick begged her, abruptly breaking their latest kiss. "I want to hear you moan."

Happy to oblige, Kate's noises only grew and Rick realized that until now, she had actually been restraining the volume and frequency with which she "sang" for him.

The throb in his groin became desperate, but instead of seeking much needed friction, he returned his attention to Kate's breasts. Kissing and licking, biting and soothing, he explored the soft curves of her chest as his hand worked faster to bring her to her peak.

"I'm so close, Ricky," Kate gasped breathlessly, making him moan around her breast.

He quickly guided her to lean back a little so he could kiss his way down her body, over her belly and into her heat. The first kiss he pressed to her core sent her falling into the flames, her intimate muscles convulsing around his fingers, her body arching and writhing under his tongue.


	7. Chapter 7

If Castle had thought she would need some kind of break or pause to come down again after her almost violent release, he would have been wrong. If anything, she only needed him more, her hands moving up to sweep quickly over his body. She did not want to take the time for tender caresses or long explorations, she needed him _now_.

Kate's hands pushed his away from her center and then reached for his belt, yanking his hips closer. She unfastened the leather strap and whipped it so quickly out of the loops that it cracked before she threw it to the floor. The button and zipper were gone so fast, Rick did not realize Kate had opened them before she was pushing the last of his clothes down his body. Rick was intrigued to note that no, he had not made a mess of himself in his pants but Kate was now using her feet to push his clothes off and he figured he had better help her soon, before things got violent.

When Rick was finally as blessedly naked as Kate, she wrapped her legs tight around his waist and pulled him close. She only had to tilt her hips a little to meet him and finally he was pressing against her heat, nothing separating them and nothing preventing them from taking what they had both wanted so desperately for so long now.

But Rick still paused. "We should..." He managed to gasp, his arm raising for only a moment to point vaguely in the direction of his bedroom.

Interpreting his action as a reminder to them both that they should probably have some barrier between them in order to prevent the possible consequences of their hasty actions, Kate just shook her head. "I want to feel you, just like this." She slipped her hands down onto his rear end, pulling him closer until his tip slowly began to disappear inside of her. "Skin to skin," she gasped, her head falling to his shoulder and her lips at his ear as he sank slowly deeper. "I take birth control," she added quietly before her lips met his salty, sweaty skin.

Rick sighed, the last of his hesitation obliterated by her breathy admissions as he quickly slammed home. He pulled away a bit to look at her face and to make sure he had not hurt her. But Kate only loosened her legs' hold around his waist, giving him the space to pull back before she used those same wicked long legs to pull him quickly home again.

_Okay, okay, I don't need to be told twice_, Rick managed to think before he finally took up the pace Kate was trying to coax him into.

Movements fast and frenzied, Rick's hand held her backside, pulling her body toward the edge of the counter each time his thrust pushed her away. His other hand explored her soft skin, finally fulfilling a promise he had made earlier to her chest to lavish attention upon her beautiful breasts... Again.

Kate's hands explored his skin, her fingertips digging into hard muscle in her excitement. She studied the way his arms bunched and flexed as he pushed and pulled her body. His back was no less fascinating, the muscles there working just as hard as his arms. The play of muscle under warm skin drew her attention and she slowly drifted her hands up and down his spine to study it further.

Though she had to loosen one of her legs to do it, Kate slipped a hand down to curve over his backside. His muscles tight with strain, the delicious curve just begged for attention. She squeezed him hard, making him gasp, and then... She just could not help it... She pulled her hand back a bit and lightly slapped him. His rear end was just too... _spankable_.

The sharp sound echoed through the cavernous room followed by the quiet sound of Rick's laughter. "I _knew_ my dominatrix fantasies had some basis in reality," Rick joked in a husky voice.

Kate gave him a droll look, un-amused, before smacking his backside again as 'punishment' for fantasizing about her as a dominatrix... without her permission, anyway.

Rick tightened his hold around her waist, pulling her closer and pressing into her as deep as he could. "_Please_ tell me you have the leather outfit," he groaned.

Kate reared her hand back to strike him again but Rick caught her hand, pushed it back onto the counter, then leaned his own hand on top of hers, trapping her there so she could not hit him again. Not that the light taps had hurt him or even bothered him at all, but she was being 'naughty,' so he was being domineering. He leaned her back onto her arm and used his free hand to explore her torso.

With the arm that was not trapped, Kate reached out to bridge the space between them. She held onto his shoulder just where it curved up into his neck and used her grasp to better tilt her hips to meet his each time he pressed into her again. Their pace was becoming too steady for Kate, too complacent; she wanted wild passion without restraint, which was part of the reason she had slapped him. When she moved her hand lower, scraping her nails over his chest and over his flat, male nipples, Rick's hips jerked erratically. She kept her hand on his chest, using the pad of her thumb to brush back and forth, relentlessly, over the dark pink disk, and Rick's thrusts again became frantic.

Rick was already close enough; he did not need the extra stimulation, so he brushed her hand away from his chest. When Kate went to touch him again, regardless of his wishes- simply because she _wanted_ to touch him, and who was Rick Castle to stop her?- he gathered both her hands and held them behind her back. Transferring both of her slim wrists to one of his big hands left Castle with one free, which he used to touch her, her shoulders, her neck and her breasts, then down her stomach and into her heat. Kate was already making high pitched little noises of pleasure, but when he leaned over her and put his mouth on her breasts again, her noises raised another octave and became decidedly pleading.

The hand at her lower back pressed her closer, the fingers at her center began circling faster, the mouth on her breast sucked harder and the hips pounding into her slammed even more frantically.

Suddenly her noises all stopped but Castle was not alarmed or worried that he was not pleasing her. He knew she was simply holding her breath, drawing out the exquisite moment and waiting desperately for her body to break. Rick gently bit down on her tender breast, thrust into her core as far as he could and was rewarded for his efforts when Kate began crying out again. The heat she had been feeling all evening- all day, all week, all _year_ if she were truly being honest with herself- culminated with a burst of lava erupting from her center, coursing through her veins with the wickedly hot heat of the release Castle had driven her to.

Kate's convulsing inner muscles shuddered hard around him, pulling his own climax from him, spilling into her body. Rick shuddered violently as his hands released her, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and he pulled her to him more securely, seating himself deep within her body as they both waited for the hot waves of pleasure to ebb.

**A/N: So, I have to give credit when it's due, even if no one knows it but me (otherwise that's plagiarizing, and I don't do that... knowingly...). The lava analogy at the end there came from **_**Scarlet Nights**_**, by Jude Deveraux. Friggin' awesome book! You should read it! But then, Jude is an AMAZING writer (in my opinion) so pretty much anything she's done qualifies as AMAZING.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the mix-up- this is the real chapter 8**

Her hands now free, Kate wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck. The angle of their bodies shifted when Kate sat up straight to hold him, and they both groaned when new flames of sensation licked through them. She pressed her bare breasts to him and delighted in the feel of his hard planes against her curves. It almost hurt, that firm pressure on her sensitive flesh, but it was a good feeling, his hard body pressed so close to her. She never wanted to let him go and the feeling scared her; she felt _home_ in his kitchen, in his arms, his body buried inside her and it was a new and terrifying sensation. What would happen to her when it came time to give him up? Who would she become if she couldn't?

His palms swept over her back, distracting her and causing her to shiver. The delicious fever she had been feeling all night, all week, had finally cooled enough that his hands felt scorching on her bare skin.

"I can almost believe in magic when you hold me like this," Kate said, and then wondered where _that _had come from. She had not intended to speak and almost regretted doing so when Castle's whole body tensed in her arms.

_Magic_, Castle thought and guilt swept through him… but that had been so long ago and could not have caused tonight. Could it? Kate had seemed willing… _very _willing- eager actually. Well, he would ask Lanie and worry about it later. For now…

Rick pulled back and when he looked at Kate, he only had a joyful smile for her. "Don't tell me that Skepticus Maximus is willing to admit to the possibility that magic may exist!"

Kate narrowed her eyes and corrected teasingly, "I said _almost_, Castle."

With an undaunted smile, he kissed her again before he said, "Well, your body feels-" he leaned away to sweep his gaze over her bare torso but was unwilling to let go of her and step away just for a better view- "and _looks_. Like magic."

Though she rolled her eyes for the almost cheesy line, a pretty blush pinked her cheeks. "Help me down from here, Castle." When he frowned, obviously about to argue in a petulant way, she told him, "This counter is cold and my ass is going numb."

"Oh no! We wouldn't want that!" he replied solicitously as his hands slipped down to grasp her sleepy body parts and pull her slowly off the counter top.

Kate's body slid down his, slowed by Rick's strong hands on her. She smiled at him, recognizing exactly what he had done and pleased that he apparently loved the feel of her body so much. He did not even have to tell her, she just had to feel the way his chest crowded her, his thighs keeping their place firmly between her own.

Rick reached up to push her hair off her shoulders. Then he held her face between his hands and leaned down to kiss her, slow and consuming. Her fingers clawed at his back, trying to drag him closer and he broke away from her mouth, breathing heavily. He wrapped his arms around her once more and leaned his forehead against hers.

"I have to tell you something," he began and the serious note in his voice made Kate instantly tense. Rick swept his hands soothingly up and down her back and she sighed, slowly began to relax again, but still tensed for Rick's brush off, or 'Gee, thanks, that was great… See you later!' Instead of saying the words she was dreading- or those other words she was secretly hoping for, that she would never acknowledge- he started vague. "I need to tell you what tonight means to me. Because I want you to know my intentions." He moved away enough to look at her and he began to babble a little, knowing that if he did not get this all out, he was going to cop out or say nothing. "You don't have to say _anything_, but I really need you to know that I … I love you and this is _not_ just a one night thing to me. That if you let me- if you want me- I would love to do this again every night for the foreseeable future. Maybe even longer."

Kate's mouth fell open and when she drew a breath to say something, Rick covered her mouth with his hand.

"You don't have to say anything," he repeated.

"But I want to," she mumbled as she pulled his hand away from her mouth. Kate looked up at him, her pretty face too serious, slightly frowning- setting him up- so he would be surprised when she asked, "_Every _night?"

When he chuckled in surprised relief, Kate smiled. "If you want me," he repeated.

And Kate smiled. "We'll see," she teased but in a way that let him know she probably would. Want him, that is. Every night. Into the foreseeable future and maybe beyond.

When Rick just stood there smiling at her for a little too long, Kate shook her head. "Do you have a shower in this place? I want to clean up before…" Then she trailed off, unsure.

Rick frowned then, hoping the rest of that sentence was not, 'I leave.' "Before what?"

"Well, I was going to say, 'before we go to bed,' but you didn't invite me to stay and I don't want to be presumptuous. So I guess I should say, 'before I leave,'" she said, mostly teasing, but Rick could sense some hesitance concealed poorly by her flippant words.

"If you think I am letting you leave this apartment before noon tomorrow, you are sorely mistaken," he said, making it absolutely clear his preferences about her staying or leaving. He finally stepped away from her but grabbed hold of her hand and began leading her through his house to his bedroom and finally into the bathroom, calling as he went, "Come on, let's go take a shower before bed. I'll wash your back," he added with a leer.

"Oh," she replied, teasingly disappointed. "I was hoping you would wash _all_ of me. But if you don't want to…"

Rick finally stopped in the bathroom and turned to smile at her in a sappy way. "I do love you," he said easily, though watching her face intently to gauge her reaction to the declaration.

But Kate Beckett had an impressive poker face. She let him sweat for a good long minute before she smiled and stepped close to him. Her hand went before the rest of her to touch him, cupping certain parts of him and making Rick gasp. "Then show me," she told him before adding quietly, "And then I'll show you how much I love you."

His smile was so big and so sweet, Kate could not help but return it and suddenly, Rick was on her, crushing her body close to his and his mouth hard on hers. He crowded her back into the shower room and fumbled with the knobs to start the water running over them. They did not even care that the water was barely more than lukewarm, they only cared about the liquid slip of hands over skin. And then, when someone had the bright idea to add soap into the mix, they played and experimented and touched slippery bodies until they could not stand any longer.

Rick slid to the floor and Kate fell onto his lap, taking him inside her body and showing him just how much she loved him.

**A/N: I know season four hasn't technically happened in this story, but I couldn't help referencing it! Just the Skepticus Maximus thing, so it's not like I misappropriated plot points, just a funny name that he might have called her at any point during their relationship.**

**I guess I should add just one more thing… I take birth control for the hormones (do I really have to explain that I don't have a boyfriend, so no, that's not why I take them? I don't wanna). When I don't take them, I get depressed. I don't feel like doing anything and writing is at the… middle of the list of things I just don't feel like doing. (waking up before noon is first **** ). I think it took me a while to realize this and I wanted to try getting back to normal without medication of any kind, but I just wasn't. I finally got back on the pill and guess what?! I actually feel like writing again! It's amazing! (she said sarcastically). I don't know why I fight it, I guess I just don't want my mom to be right. Yet again. :-/ I don't know what this means for my fanfiction account; I hope to finish my projects here, but I may not be able to. I don't know, we'll see. This story, however, only has one more chapter and yes, it is done and about to be posted soon.**


	9. Chapter 9

Kate was just heading down to the morgue to dish with her best friend about the amazing weekend she had just spent with "Writer-Boy" (or, well, _Man_, she corrected with a smile), but apparently Castle had already beat her there. She heard his voice coming from inside the big, cold room where sound carried very well it would seem. "It happened, Lanie! It worked! You wouldn't believe how well it worked!" he gushed. Then there was the sound of Lanie's laughter and a peek through the door's little window showed Kate that Castle had wrapped the ME in an exuberant hug. The smacking sound of the kiss he placed on her cheek echoed through the room.

When she recovered herself, Lanie pushed away from Rick and rolled her eyes. "I told you it would work."

Rick shrugged. "Half the time, I can't tell for sure if she even _likes _me, so…"

"Like I told you before, Kate Beckett is so in love with you, she can't even see straight," Lanie retorted.

Kate gasped in hurt and shock. Her best friend was _not _supposed to be telling all her secrets to any man, much less the object of her infatuation. And now that she thought about it, how did _Lanie_ even know Kate was in love with Rick? She had never even admitted it to herself (before last night anyway), much less her nosey best friend.

"Well, now I know for sure and it's all thanks to your love spell," Castle concluded happily.

_Love spell!? _Kate's mind shrieked and seconds later she was pushing open the door to the morgue and shrieking it out loud. "Love spell!?"

"Kate!" Rick gasped, spinning to face her as she stalked forward.

"You put a love spell on me!?" she asked in outrage, choosing not to dwell on the fact that she did not actually believe in the power of spells and magic, but feeling betrayed that he would even try something like that.

"Well, Lanie actually…" he began meekly, gesturing over his shoulder toward the ME behind him.

"Oh, no you don't, Writer-Boy," she snapped at him, not about to let him turn Kate's wrath onto her. She had already warned him that he was playing with fire, now it was time for him to face the loud, shrieking-Beckett music. "This was _your _spell- you leave me out of your mess."

"But _you're_ the one who did the spell!"

"Because _you_ bribed me to!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have bragged to me that your grandmother was a voodoo queen then!" he complained at her, prolonging this inane argument because it seemed to be keeping Kate from screaming at him some more.

"Stop it!" Kate shouted. (_Thought too soon_, Castle corrected morosely as Kate began her tirade.) "How could either of you do this to me? You're supposed to by my best friend, Lanie. And _you_… I can't believe I actually trusted you when you said you loved me."

"I _do_ love you!" Rick gasped (And so did Lanie when he said it so easily, as if he had already said it to her many times) and part of him wanted to cry. How could she question that he really did love her? It was the only true feeling he had ever had in his life for a woman to whom he was not related by blood.

"So you _force _me to love you back? That's not love, that _sick_."

"No!" he gasped at the same time that Lanie called, "Hey wait!"

"No one can force another person to feel love, not even with magic," Lanie explained pleadingly. "The name 'love spell' isn't even accurate. It should be called a… _lust_ spell!" she added happily, feeling as though she had found a satisfying alternative.

"So you _didn't _force me to love him, you just forced me to sleep with him? That makes me feel so much better," she retorted sarcastically. "How is what you two did any better than drugging me?"

Lanie sighed and then tried to explain- better this time, hopefully. "We didn't _make_ you feel anything, Kate. The spell we did only intensifies feelings you already have. No spell can make you fall in love or lust. You already felt those things, even if you chose to deny them for some unholy reason. There was always the chance that we were wrong and you would end up hating him even more if that's what you felt for him. We just made your feelings for Castle harder to ignore."

"What if I _wanted_ to ignore those feelings? You took away my right to choose!" If she did not control herself, she would be crying soon, and they could all hear it in her voice. Somehow, the fact that Kate did not actually believe in magic seemed to be irrelevant to her reactions. They had tried to force her into something, no matter the means, and it hurt.

"Why would you _want _to ignore me, Kate?" Castle finally cut in, challenging her for the first time and showing some of his own hurt about the whole situation. The spell might not have entered his mind as a possibility if Kate had just been more open about the feelings that she clearly had for him. "We can be so good together- we _are_ good together… we were last night. Why would you want to ignore that?"

Kate's eyes slowly collected tears as she looked at him. "You mean more to me than either of us will _ever _acknowledge," she admitted in a tone of warning. "I can't risk the possibility of losing our partnership, our friendship, because _hormones _screwed it up for us."

"You won't lose me. Ever. I promise you, Kate."

"You can't promise me something like that," Kate retorted pathetically as a tear finally fell.

"I _can_. Just look!" He turned to the table Lanie was standing behind and grabbed for something Kate had not seen until now. He held a red card out to her and Kate frowned at it, confused. "Take it," he insisted.

Kate did as she was bid and finally noticed that it was not a card she held, but something roughly card- sized, wrapped many times in sexy red, silk ribbon. There appeared to be images beneath the ribbon, but when Kate tried to move them to see, she found all the ribbons were fused together.

"I've never seen that happen before. I've seen the ribbons stick together, but I've never seen them fuse like that into one piece," Lanie told her when she noticed Kate trying to move the fused ribbons. Kate wanted to ask what that meant, but she was afraid she already knew: true love, something she still was not sure she believed in and so was afraid to have confirmed.

Lanie waited for Kate to say something, but when she did not, the ME prodded gently, "Hold it up to the light."

Slowly, Kate did as asked, and with the light shining through the ribbons she could see a picture of her and Castle hidden underneath. They were both facing the camera and smiling happily, Rick in front, Kate behind, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, their cheeks pressed together. It was a beautiful picture… but one that Kate was sure had never actually been taken. Kate had not even held his hand in public yet, much less had time for a sappy shot to be taken of them. This picture should not exist, yet it did and was bound with ribbons that had magically sewn themselves together.

"What is this?" she whispered, inexplicably scared and confused.

"It's true love, Kate," Lanie filled the long silence that followed. "I've never see that happen before- not that I've done the spell all that many times- but even my grandmother has only ever seen it happen once." Lanie took the ribbon-bound image and held it up. "I took two separate pictures, one of you and one of Castle, bound them in red ribbon and spoke a few words. The picture changed. The ribbons bonded together. You two created this, not the other way around."

"Why would you want to ignore that, Kate?" Castle asked again, quietly.

Kate tore her eyes from the picture and when she looked at Castle, she hated the heartbroken expression that she had caused. In the past day, Kate had seen many new expressions that she had inspired cross Rick's face as their relationship suddenly changed but nothing like the smile he wore in the picture covered in ribbons. She wanted more than anything to see that smile in living flesh, which pretty much made up her mind to finally tell him, "I don't."

A moment of confusion passed, but Castle caught on quickly and finally there, transforming his face into a thing of beauty, was that smile.

Kate wanted to fly into his arms and kiss him happily, figuring that would be the appropriate, girly thing to do now that she had pretty much accepted her fate as Rick's one and only True Love, but she was vaguely aware that Lanie was watching. Part of her wanted to punish her friend for the spell and not perform the spectacle Kate was sure Lanie was waiting to see, but mostly Kate was a very private person and just did not want to show how sappy she could be with an audience. So she stood there, smiling back at Rick and not moving.

"Just kiss him already!" Lanie finally gasped, exasperated.

Kate and Rick finally tore their eyes off each other and glanced to Lanie. Their smiles turned smug and instead of doing as commanded- which Castle knew Beckett would not be okay with at work- they headed to the door of the morgue. He held the door as Kate breezed through, winking at the ME as Rick told her, "I definitely owe you one, Lanie."

"My fee is gift cards or jewelry!" she called after him.

Kate was tempted to maul him in the elevator, but her workplace just was not the appropriate place for the kind of kiss she wanted to give him. So they were forced to wait all day for that kiss and by the time they made it back to Castle's apartment, they were both burning for it.

**The End!**

**I feel like I should add something about how they framed their spell, even had a special light shining through it so everyone could see the picture under the ribbons, but I figured it was a good ending where it is. I also wanted to work in something about how when they're mad at each other, the edges singed black or something, but oh well. That's the end.**


End file.
